Janie Bradford Hobbs, Motown songwriter who co-wrote “Money,” dies at 87

Janie Bradford Hobbs, a Motown songwriter credited with co-writing the hit “Money (That’s What I Want),” has died at 87, the New York Post reported on Aug. 22. The paper described Hobbs as an “unsung hero” within the Motown songwriting world and tied her work to one of the label’s best-known crossover songs.

“Money” is widely remembered as a defining Motown-era recording, and the track’s continued presence in radio programming and popular culture has kept the writers behind it in public view. Hobbs’s death, as reported by the New York Post, brings renewed attention to the behind-the-scenes contributors who shaped the label’s sound, from studio work to the authorship of lyrics and melody.

Motown’s business model relied heavily on professional songwriting and publishing infrastructure, with creators often working through teams and arrangements rather than receiving the same headline billing as performing artists. Reporting on Hobbs’s role highlights how those industry structures produced durable hits while keeping many writers comparatively less known outside music circles.

Born into the era that turned rhythm-and-blues and soul songwriting into mainstream pop, Hobbs worked within the Motown ecosystem, where the pressure to deliver commercially viable material was constant and where the difference between a missed session and a completed cut could determine whether a song found its audience. The New York Post report framed Hobbs’s career through that lens, emphasizing that her contribution was part of the songwriting labor that made Motown’s output possible.

For families and longtime listeners, the death of a songwriter can also reopen questions about how legacies are preserved, including the availability of accurate credit histories and the extent to which the public learns the names of writers behind the songs that soundtrack adulthood and family life. While Hobbs’s obituary coverage focused on her credit on “Money,” the broader impact is the reminder that songwriters are central to the cultural record.

The next steps in the case are expected to come through additional confirmations from representatives, estates, or music-rights holders, along with any follow-up statements about survivors and memorial plans. Until then, the published account centers on Hobbs’s role as a Motown songwriter who co-wrote “Money” and the fact of her death at age 87, as reported on Aug. 22.

Music industry observers and fans typically look to reliable crediting through labels, publishing databases, and official announcements when a songwriter dies. If new documentation or statements are released, they may further clarify Hobbs’s full catalog, the circumstances around her work on “Money,” and how her contributions are being recognized going forward, beyond the notice of her passing.